Liquorice Wand Love
by AureliaAzusa
Summary: "You know, Tom, our friendship is rather similar to a liquorice wand." Tom Marvolo Riddle: a psychopath, and the future evilest of evil-doers. Evelyn Gnarle: Tom M. Riddle's first, last, and only friend that he ever had. Not to mention, his one and only true love, or at least the closest thing to it. Who would've thought Tom M. Riddle had something so sweet in his dark, evil life?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Platform 9 3/4 buzzed with excitement. Over the loud squeaking of trolley wheels, parents fussing over their children, and teenagers excited about meeting up with their friends again, one had to practically scream in order to be heard by a person not a foot away. The Hogwarts Express sat there, beside the platform in all of it's scarlet glory waiting for it's passengers to get on before departing at 11 o'clock sharp.

It was my first time, going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was standing here, on the platform with my mum. My mum was fussing over me, she tends to be overly affectionate in hopes of making me feel just as loved as any other child my age. I reminded my mum that I'd best put my things away and get onboard before 11 o'clock or I'd miss the train.

My mum then hurriedly ushered my trunk and I onto the train. We quickly found a compartment, and she used magic to put my trunk on the racks above the large window in the wall of the train. I went with my mum back to the platform to say goodbye to her one last time.

On my way back to my compartment however, I got lost and couldn't remember where it was. After several moments of panicked turning my head back and forth, looking in opposite directions of the train corridor, I gave up and decided to find a new compartment to sit in.

I soon found a suitable compartment, one that wasn't overly crowded or anything. There was already a boy sitting in it, he seemed a bit lonesome, sitting there by himself, staring out the window.

I knocked on the door to the compartment before opening it. "Excuse me, would you mind if I joined you?" I asked politely. I feared I interrupted his thinking or something of the sort. The boy turned his head and looked at me with such an emotionally detached expression, it was almost…cold.

"Do as you like," the boy turned back to staring out the window.

I must admit, I was a bit put out. I didn't know what to say or think. Since it wasn't really necessary for me to say anything right now, I decided to just take a seat and to not dwell on the matter.

I took a seat beside the window, opposite of the boy. I smoothed down my soft rose pink skirt and made myself comfortable before I decided to introduce myself. After all, I'm always looking forward to making a new friend.

"My name is Evelyn Gnarle," I blurted out, immediately subsequently blushing a brilliant scarlet hue. Whoops, that was a perfect demonstration of my social ineptitude.

The boy looked at me out of the corner of his eye, still facing the window. I imagine, were he to show emotion, he'd have given me a curious look.

I began to open my mouth again, to ask my next question. But before I could, the boy spoke, "Tom Riddle, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I sat there, stunned. "What?" I ungracefully choked out, which was not very lady-like of me.

"- My name. You were going to ask me my name. It's Tom Riddle," the boy, Tom, explained.

It seems Tom is rather intelligent, being able to tell exactly when I was going to ask him his name. Admittedly, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that I was going to ask when I was, but it's still worth something.

After I got over my initial surprise, I smiled a big, bright, and friendly smile. "Tom Riddle," I repeated, "May I call you Tom, then?" I hoped Tom would say yes, I really wanted Tom and I to be friends.

At first, Tom glared at me, making my smile fall a bit and I feared that he'd say no. But then, Tom's expression…almost softened…and his expression went back to neutral.

"Do as you like," Tom grumbled, turning his attention fully to the window once more.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I guess I was simply relieved, at the prospect of Tom and I becoming friends. I would have liked to hug Tom, but I imagine that would probably have made him feel rather uncomfortable so I restrained myself from doing so.

Instead, I opted for observing Tom. He was rather intriguing, I've never really met anyone so…introverted. I've met shy people before, but I don't think Tom is shy. Tom is different from other quiet people that I've met who stick to themselves. Tom is introverted…because he chooses to be. Now that I've observed Tom up close, he seems completely content being alone, not lonesome at all. Although, he's not really alone since I'm here with him at the moment, but I think even if I weren't here, he'd still be perfectly fine.

Tom has dark eyes, they're so mysterious. It's hard to describe Tom's eyes, they're stony and detached from the world, indifferent. I felt sad for Tom, not sorry - sad. I felt so sad when I thought of Tom in his lonely, void of emotion world. Even if Tom was satisfied with the little bubble he lived in, I can't imagine anyone being truly content when they lack so much emotion. Tom's hair was also dark, a shade of brown that resembled midnight raven black more than any brown. It was neatly combed, and was a bit wavy but more straight. It was of moderate length, the typical length of hair for boys.

Tom was already dressed in his Hogwarts robes. I suppose he likes to be prepared, I haven't changed into my robes yet. I thought it would've been awkward if I came to Platform 9 3/4 already dressed in my Hogwarts robes. My mother said I wouldn't look out of place at all, but I insisted on wearing my regular clothes and changing into my robes later. Perhaps next time, I'll just trust my mother on matters like these. After all, she's gone through this experience many times, as a student and later as a professor.

I saw movement in the corner of my eye. It was the scenery on the other side of the window, the train had started and our journey to Hogwarts began. The train ride to Hogwarts was long, the longest ride in any such vehicle I'd ever ridden in my whole entire short lifespan. For the most part, the train ride was quiet, excluding the chatter coming from the other side of our compartment door.

A short while into the train ride, the snack trolly came rolling around.

"…Tom, would you like anything from the snack trolly?" I asked, hesitantly breaking the silence.

"I don't care for sweets," Tom said harshly. He seemed irritated.

"Oh… Do you dislike sweets that much?" I asked tentatively. Tom seemed almost angry.

"…I've never eaten sweets before. They didn't have them at the orphanage. I have no need for sweets," Tom explained in short sentences.

"…You…You're an orphan, Tom?" I hesitantly asked, trying to be delicate.

"Yeah, what of it?" Tom turned away, angry I think.

I started to cry, sniffling and hiccuping and the whole lot.

Tom turned to me, a weird look on his face. "…What are you doing?" he asked.

"I…*sniff*…I'm cry - *hic* - ing of *hic* course. *sniff* It *hic* is so sa - *sniff* - ad," I attempted to explain.

"Well, stop it. I don't need your pity," Tom replied harshly.

"…*sniff*…I'm…not * hic* pitying *hic* you…," I calmed down a little, "I…*sniff*…feel sad…for you."

"It's the same thing so stop it," Tom narrowed his eyes.

"It's…*sniff*…not the same thing *hic*, Tom," I insisted. "Even though I…*hic*…feel sad for you, *sniff* I don't feel any less respect towards you. If *sniff* anything, I feel more respect for *hic* you."

My shoulders shook and I furiously rubbed at my eyes, trying to stop crying. All the while, Tom stared curiously on, watching me cry my eyes out.

"Stop crying, you look terrible," Tom said, continuing to stare at me.

"…I-I can't help it. I…," I continued to cry, although my tears did decrease a bit more.

Tom paused for a second, it looked like he was thinking. He then got up off the seat, and walked towards me. "Come on, get up. And really, stop crying, you look like a troll," Tom offered me his hand.

I stared at his hand, taking it after a moment or two. "Thank you, Tom," I said gratefully, getting up from my seat and allowing Tom to lead me out of the compartment, holding the door for me. He lead me down the corridor, past compartments, and to the snack trolly lady.

"You're paying," Tom muttered.

I burst out giggling. The other students around us gave me curious looks.

"What? Stop that, it's embarrassing," Tom muttered to me.

I giggled a bit more quietly. I then chose what I wanted from the trolly and paid the lady. As Tom and I walked back to our compartment, I nibbled on my liquorice wand, more of them in a little bag hanging on my wrist. My other unpreoccupied hand held Tom's hand, it was swinging between the two of us in joy.

After Tom and I arrived back at our compartment, we both took our seats again. I happily nibbled away on my liquorice wands, swinging my feet, the back of my shoes hitting the train seat.

"Could you stop that?" Tom asked, a bit annoyed although he tried to hide it.

"Stop what?" I asked, pausing in my swinging of my legs.

"That. Swinging your legs and hitting the seat," Tom said.

"Oh, okay. Sorry," I sheepishly mumbled.

Tom turned to the window, opting for looking out at the moving scenery.

"…Would you like to try some, Tom?" I asked, offering a liquorice wand.

"I don't need your pity. I don't want your candy," Tom said, once again harshly, and once again angry.

"Tom, I don't know what you're thinking," I started, standing up and walking over to where Tom sat, "but I already told you. My respect for you hasn't lessened, if anything, it's grown. So stop being stubborn and prideful," Tom turned to me, his eyes narrowed, and opened his mouth, probably to retort something, "and try this liquorice wand," I finished, shoving a liquorice wand into Tom's open mouth.

Tom squirmed, but I didn't let him spit the liquorice out. I made sure he chewed and swallowed before I let him open his mouth again.

"So, was it good? Liquorice isn't as sweet as some other sweets so I think it'd be okay for you. I mean, you don't really seem like the kind to have a really big sweet tooth," I said, a big, bright smile on my face.

"…It was okay…," Tom mumbled.

"Just 'okay'? That's it? Are you sure?" I asked, skeptical. "Here, have the rest of it. You bit it after all. And if you want more, help yourself."

Judging by the look on Tom's face, I would've thought he like that liquorice he ate. He probably just has too much pride to admit it.

I went to sit back down on my own seat, nibbling on more liquorice wands. I turned to the window, watching the passing scenery but keeping a close eye on Tom out of the corner of my eye. I didn't have to wait long before, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tom slowly reach for the rest of the liquorice wand he bit from, and eat it.

I turned to Tom once more, "I knew it. Caught you red handed, Tom!" I smiled a big smile, amused.

Tom glared at me. "Be quiet."

"It's okay to like candy, Tom. Here, help yourself," I placed the bag of liquorice wands on the seat beside Tom, grabbing two for myself to eat at the moment.

I then turned to the window again. It didn't take long for Tom to reach for more liquorice wands. I turned to watch Tom, giving him an amused and smug look.

"…Be quiet," Tom mumbled, nibbling on more liquorice wand.

I giggled, "I didn't say anything."

The rest of the train ride was more or less uneventful. I took a nap, Tom took a nap, we ate liquorice wands, I changed into my robes in the girls' lavatory, we stared out the window of our compartment, nothing particularly special.

When we arrived at our destination, Tom and I got off the train along with the other first year students. We took canoes across a lake to Hogwarts, the dark night was illuminated by lanterns. We followed a professor to the Great Hall where the other students of Hogwarts sat at four long tables. The ceiling of the Great Hall showed a cloudy but clear moonlit night. Candles floated in the middle of the air, giving light to the Great Hall. Everything was awesome, in fact, many of my fellow first years were in awe.

We listened to the Sorting Hat's song, and then people started to be sorted. I looked towards Tom, who stood next to me. He had a blank expression on his face, neutral as usual. I think if anything, Tom was secretly curious about everything here. He came from a muggle orphanage after all. Soon enough, my name was called to be sorted.

"Gnarle, Evelyn," I glanced at Tom out of the corner of my eye and squeezed his hand before making my way to the Sorting Hat.

I sat down on the stool. The hat was placed on my head, and shortly thereafter, I heard someone talking in my head. I looked up, at the hat. It was the hat talking to me?

After a small debate between the hat and itself, arguing about whether I should be sorted into Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, the hat chose, "Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff table erupted into applause. I smiled, and walked down and over to the Hufflepuff table. I sat down next to a boy with neatly combed, straight blond hair of moderate, typical length. He had clear crystal blue eyes, and a bright, cheeky smile on his face.

"Hello, my name's Robert Frenzler. What's your name?" this boy, Robert asked me politely, offering his hand to me.

"My name's Evelyn Gnarle, a pleasure to meet you," I warmly replied, shaking his outstretched hand.

"A pleasure to meet you as well," Robert said back.

"So, Evelyn, this is my twin sister, Ruth," Robert introduced, referring to the girl sitting across from me. She, unlike her brother, had curly blond hair that went down to her shoulders. Her eyes were the same clear crystal blue colour as her brother's. She was very pretty.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ruth," I smiled brightly.

"I feel the same way, Evelyn," Ruth kindly smiled, shaking my hand.

After that, Robert, Ruth, and I turned back to the sorting. Eventually, it was Tom's turn to be sorted.

Tom sat down on the stool. The hat barely touched Tom's head, and the professor hadn't even let go of the hat yet, when the Sorting Hat called out, "Slytherin!"

I felt a bit sad. I didn't really expect Tom and I to have been sorted into the same house, but I suppose I did secretly hope for that, deep in my heart. It could have merely been my imagination, but as Tom walked over to the Slytherin table, I thought I saw Tom discreetly glance in my direction.

The rest of the sorting was uneventful, as was the rest of dinner. Although, I do believe someone had their pumpkin juice explode in their face at one point. After dinner, the first years were shown to their common rooms and dormitories. Hufflepuff's dormitories were in the kitchens, it was quite a unique entrance our house had.

Fortunately, Ruth and I shared a dorm. At least I'll have one familiar face. I was quite tired, as were Ruth and the other girls. We all either got ready for bed and went to sleep right away, or just plopped down onto our bed and fell asleep.

One girl, Sadie, was so tired, she tripped on the carpet and fell down, falling asleep and sleeping right there on the floor. I got Sadie a blanket and put it over her so that she wouldn't catch a cold. Ruth threw her a pillow incase she woke up and wanted one, or incase she wanted a pillow to cuddle with.

We all had a good laugh at that incident, Sadie's pretty funny we all unanimously decided. After that, we all said goodnight and fell asleep. My bed was so comfy, I drifted off to sleep easily. Right before falling asleep, I thought of Tom. How was Tom doing in his new home for the year? I hope Tom's doing alright. And with that, I slipped into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter #2

It's been about a week since I've arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I've been rather busy with various things: homework, getting lost, making sure I get to classes on time, getting lost, and the such. I've made friends with Ruth and Robert, and we hang out together often. I haven't had many chances to look for Tom, nor have I seen him much outside of classes. And during classes, he seems to more or less ignore me.

Today, it's Friday. Classes have already ended. Currently, it's evening and students have gathered in the Great Hall to eat dinner. I spotted Tom entering the Great Hall with a few boys who looked to be his age.

I quickly sprung out of my seat and raced over to Tom, calling out to him, "Tom! Hey, Tom!"

People gave me weird looks, and Tom's Slytherin friends gave me dirty looks, making me slow down. Tom said something to the two of them, and they walked away to their house table. When I stopped in front of Tom, he looked angry.

"Come with me," Tom muttered, angrily.

I hesitantly followed him. He lead us out of the Great Hall, down an empty corridor a little ways off to the side.

"What was that?" Tom hissed.

"What was what?" I hesitantly asked, not wanting to anger Tom further but genuinely confused.

Tom growled. "Don't approach me during classes, in the middle of the corridor, or anywhere. Not in public, and especially not in front of my friends," Tom elaborated.

"Why? We're friends aren't we? Friends approach each other and talk with each other," I was still confused.

"No, we're -," Tom paused, his expression becoming less angry.

My eyes were teared up. "We're…not…friends…?" I felt like my heart shattered and fell to the floor in a billion small pieces.

"…Yes, we're…friends," Tom mumbled the last part, practically choking it out.

My face immediately lit up, a joyful smile bursting on my lips. "Really?"

"…Yes," Tom reluctantly, once again, choked out.

"Promise?" I prodded.

"Promise," Tom confirmed.

"Thank you, Tom," I smiled a big, gleeful smile, flinging my arms around Tom. Tom squirmed in my hold on him, but he eventually gave in.

"Must you do that?"

"Mmhm," I pulled back, my big smile still plastered onto my face.

"But if we're going to be friends, you can't approach me in public, _at all_. Do you understand?" Tom insisted.

"But if I can't approach you in public, when can I?" I asked, a little sadder, but not completely.

Tom thought for a moment. "How about Saturday evenings, from the second half of dinner to curfew? In the abandoned classroom right between your common room and my common room?" Tom suggested.

"Sure. So then, I'll meet you there tomorrow after dinner?" I asked.

"Yes," Tom replied shortly.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Good," I gave Tom a hug before we headed back to the Great Hall together. "What'll you tell your friends tomorrow?"

"I'll tell them that I need Saturday evenings to myself just to think and be by myself," Tom explained.

"Oh," I was impressed by how well Tom handled things.

The rest of the night was uneventful. I eagerly awaited the following evening, so that I could meet Tom.

…

I snuck away after dinner to the abandoned classroom I was to meet Tom in. I had to wait a while before Tom finally arrived.

"Sorry, Avery and Lestrange were being a little persistent," Tom explained.

"It's alright," I reassured.

Tom and I talked and we played a few games, although we didn't do anything in particular, the time flew by quickly. We both had fun to some extent, Tom had as much fun as he could've possibly had. I enjoyed our time together though, it made me relieved to find we were still friends - even though we've hardly known each other for a week.

Our weekly meetings soon became part of our daily lives at Hogwarts. Tom and I would regularly meet each Saturday evening to spend time together. Sometimes we'd play wizards' chess, other times we'd talk about school and teachers and interesting events that've happened. It'd be normal for Tom to arrive late by a short while, his friends were often very curious as to where he went on Saturday evenings.

I soon came to understand why Tom didn't want us to be affiliated publicly. It'd damage his reputation, as it's disgraceful for a Slytherin to be seen with a Hufflepuff. If I were a Ravenclaw, it'd be more acceptable, but because I'm in Hufflepuff, I'm considered weak, useless, and those sorts of things.

About a month before Christmas, Tom missed one of our meetings. The following week, he missed another. The week after that, he missed again. That was three meetings in a row he's missed. He couldn't possibly be that busy, but I don't think he'd purposefully skip one of our meetings. I decided that I'd wait for Tom once more, before confronting him about it.

The fourth time, Tom showed up.

"Hey, Tom," I greeted him as usual.

"Hello," he replied.

"So, you must've been really busy with homework these past weeks. What'd you have to do? Or did you get detention?" I joked. Tom would never get detention, he'd never let himself be caught breaking the rules.

"I, uh, got detention," Tom muttered quietly.

"Tom. I may have only known you for," I counted the months on my fingers, "about three months, but I can tell when you're lying."

"…The first time, I actually did get detention. It wasn't my fault though, some brainless toad made a mistake in potions class. The second time, I missed our meeting deliberately," Tom explained quietly, "The third time, I had homework."

"Why would you deliberately miss our meeting?" I asked, hurt.

"I…it doesn't matter. I'm sorry, I realized after that I missed our little rendezvous. I didn't think you'd have come today," Tom said quietly.

"It's alright, Tom, I forgive you. And, of course I'd have come. I've missed you, Tom," I said brightly, forgivingly. I gave Tom a big bear hug, he squirmed a bit but less than usual.

"Anyway," I said, releasing Tom and changing the topic of conversation, "what're you going to do for the winter holidays?"

Tom shrugged his shoulders, "Stay here at Hogwarts? I'm not sure."

"Really? You should come over to my house then," I offered.

"No. Thank you," Tom declined firmly.

"Why not?" I asked, confused.

"I refuse, thank you," Tom firmly declined again, politely.

"Fine, then I'll stay here at Hogwarts with you," I decided.

"No, you should go home. You have a family, you should spend time with them," Tom said.

"But you'll be lonely here at Hogwarts by yourself. I imagine Avery and Lestrange are going home for Christmas?" I pointed out.

"I won't be lonely," Tom insisted.

"Even if you won't be, _I_ will be," I insisted as well.

"…Your mind is set, isn't it?" Tom gave in.

"Yes, it is. And whatever happened to, "Do as you like"? I asked.

"You do as you like anyway, so why should I state the obvious?" Tom pointed out.

"But you've resorted to not stating the obvious, but rather doing the opposite of the obvious? How is that any more logical?" I was confused.

Tom shrugged, staying silent.

"Alright then, it's settled. We'll both stay at Hogwarts for the winter holidays," I stated, confirming the situation.

"Do as you like," Tom reverted back to saying _that_ phrase.

"I will, thank you," I smiled.

Tom and I spent the rest of our time doing the usual, which is doing nothing in particular except enjoy each other's company.

The following weekend on the Saturday in the morning, the majority of the Hogwarts student body left to spend Christmas with their families, including Avery and Lestrange - Tom's friends. That left Tom and I, and a handful of students from each house still at Hogwarts, and of course the professors.

The Headmaster replaced the four house tables with one long table since there were so few of us at Hogwarts. Tom and I wouldn't eat together, but we'd spend nearly the whole of our days together since there wasn't anyone to catch us.

My mother was a little saddened that she couldn't spend Christmas with me, but she understood. She said that she was happy so long as I was happy.

When Christmas day came, I was so excited. I raced down to the Great Hall, shoved some food down my throat, and then shoved some more food down my throat. I was too busy stuffing my face to have noticed Tom walking through the doors of the Great Hall. Only when he passed me by did I notice him, and that was only because he commented on my eating habits.

"You'll die by choking if you continue to eat like that," Tom muttered to me as he walked past me.

I was tempted to retort, but I couldn't because we were in public. And Tom knew that, the sly Slytherin. Instead, I merely slowed down my eating speed. Besides, I couldn't very well retort with my mouth full of food.

The mail soon arrived. I recognized my mother's owl, Mistletoe. Mistletoe dropped a medium sized package in front of me. She grabbed a strawberry from my plate and ate it before flying off again, returning to my mother.

"Bye, Mistletoe! Thank you!" I called after Mistletoe.

I then turned to the package. It was addressed to Tom, with a note on it addressed to me. The package was from my mother. The note said:

_Dear Evelyn, _

_This is Tom__'__s Christmas present from me. Give him my greetings, okay? Merry Christmas! And Eve, I wish to meet Tom during Easter break if possible, okay?_

_ Love, _

_ Mommy dearest. _

I decided I'd give Tom his present from my mother when I gave him his present from myself.

After I finished my breakfast, I grabbed a strawberry to eat on the go. Tom had already left, he doesn't like to eat much, food is merely sustenance to him. I quickly dropped by my dormitory to grab Tom's Christmas present. Then I met Tom at our usual meeting place, the abandoned classroom. Tom was already there, waiting for me.

"Merry Christmas, Tom!" I greeted, smiling.

"Merry Christmas," Tom replied blankly. Still, he said 'Merry Christmas' to me, which meant something.

"Here," I sat down on the ground in front of Tom, placing his presents in front of him between us.

"Thanks," Tom mumbled before slowly opening his presents. "Why two?"

"One's from my mother. She seems to be fond of you, despite not ever meeting you," I explained.

"Hm," Tom read the cards that came with the presents. "Thanks. But why a watch? I have one already."

"I know, but you're always complaining about how you hate that watch. And this watch matches your house, Slytherin," I pointed out.

"…Thank you," Tom reluctantly said.

"You're welcome."

Tom opened the present from my mother. I, myself, was curious as to just what my mother gave Tom.

It was a magical camera, the ones that capture a small scenario instead of merely a moment like muggle cameras. "…What is this?" Tom asked.

"It's a magical camera. Here," I showed Tom how to use the camera.

We took a picture of us. "See?" I said.

"…Interesting," I could tell Tom was curious, even though he didn't really show it. "Here."

Tom handed me some rolled up parchment and a feather pen. "Look. Use your wand, and tap it like this," Tom explained, showing me how to tap my wand on the parchment.

I mimicked Tom's wand tapping pattern, tapping the tip of my wand on the parchment. The parchment jumped up, and floating in the air, it unrolled itself and reoriented itself so that it was in portrait orientation. The feather jumped up, and floated in the air as well, beside the parchment. I was amazed.

"Amazing, I'm in awe, Tom," I expressed my awe both in my tone of voice, and facial expression.

"It's charmed. You'll need to practice a bit, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. You simply think of what you want the pen to write, and it'll write it for you. You can also use a regular pen to write, and it'll still work fine," Tom explained. "Go ahead, try it."

I thought of wanting the pen to write 'Hello, merry Christmas!' And magically, the pen floated over the parchment and started to write. As soon as the pen was finished writing though, the inked words on the parchment faded.

"What happened?" I asked Tom, confused.

"Here," Tom pulled out another rolled up parchment from his robes. He tapped the roll of parchment with his wand, as I did with mine. The parchment unrolled, and on the parchment appeared the words 'Hello, merry Christmas!'

"…," I was speechless. What just happened?

"See? It's charmed parchment, as well as a charmed pen. The pen is charmed so that you may write just by willing it. The parchment is charmed so that you and I may communicate whenever we wish," Tom explained. "You may also use the pen on regular parchment. The pen uses magical ink, so there's no need to dip the pen into ink."

"Amazing, Tom, I'm impressed. What are you, a genius? This is magic above a first year's level," I remarked.

"Thank you. But it was merely the product of reading books, nothing special," Tom said, modest.

After Christmas, I started to notice more just how intelligent Tom really was. He was at the top of his class, and he was really quite skilled for a first year. It was very impressive. Tom was like one of those model students, polite, intelligent, charismatic. But no matter how well he seemed to get along with others, Tom would always still be Tom.

As the years went by, Tom grew in every aspect. He grew physically, mentally, personality wise, as well as in other areas. By fourth year, he had his own little 'gang' that he regularly hung out with. His friends respected him greatly, and looked to him as their leader. I learned more about Tom as time passed, and I too, grew in many aspects.

I found that I was quite skilled in magic application. I didn't receive excellent grades like Tom, though they were above average. However, I found I learned new spells quickly, and I was able to perform wand-less magic at an earlier age than my peers. The same applied to Tom, he also seemed to have an aptitude for performing and learning magic.

Tom was very odd compared to other children his age. But nevertheless, I grew to love him anyway. By fourth year, I began to see Tom as more than a friend. Of course, being the charming young man that he was, he had many girls lusting after him. He didn't really care for them, although sometimes, if he was in a good mood, he'd humour them. But Tom really wasn't interested in dating, he preferred to stick to himself and his gang. He was too calculative and shrewd to allow himself to get too close to anyone. The only exception was me. In fact, Tom has admitted to me once that he regrets becoming my friend, despite genuinely enjoying my company.

Tom's very good at lying, and over the years, he's perfected his skill. But for some reason, I trust Tom anyway. Besides, if he truly didn't enjoy my company, he'd have stopped being my friend long ago. It's not as if Tom asks me any favours or anything of the sort, so really, he has nothing to gain from being my friend. I'm not too worried about being manipulated by Tom, despite his manipulative personality.

But in fourth year, is when I'll learn about jut what kind of people Tom hangs around with.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter #3

"Oh Tommy, darling, I'm free this weekend. Would you be up for some fun with me?" I watched Phyllis Berymere flirt with Tom.

It was a couple months into my fourth year school year at Hogwarts. I was currently in Defence Against the Dark Arts, along with Robert, Ruth, and Tom. We were supposed to be practicing all the spells we knew, as we would be having a duelling assessment next class. Basically, it's a free period as long as you're well-versed in your spells.

I looked the other way for a moment, but quickly whipped my head back around when I heard a shriek. What I saw surprised me. It was Phyllis; she lay on the ground seemingly unconscious, unmoving. It was her friend, Bernice Freiden who had shrieked out of horror.

Everyone in the class turned towards the scene. Tom held his wand out, in the direction of Phyllis. Phyllis lay on the ground motionless several feet away from Tom. Under Phyllis was Paul Haze, a Ravenclaw. Phyllis probably flew into Paul as she was thrown back.

"Mr. Haze, are you alright my dear boy? Artorin, help Mr. Haze up please. Mr. Riddle, what exactly happened here?" our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Merrythought, found her way through the crowd of students. She then proceeded to ask Jonathan Artorin to help Paul up from his spot under Phyllis, and to ask Tom to explain himself.

"I was preparing to cast a spell, when Berymere came up to me and spoke to me. I got distracted you see, and turned to Berymere, forgetting about my wand and the spell. And I accidentally stunned Berymere and knocked her back into Haze as well," Tom smoothly explained, always the smooth talker.

"Ah, I see. Alright then, Mr. Riddle, as you were the one who caused this mess, I see it only fit that you escort Miss Berymere to the Hospital Wing," Professor Merrythought told Tom.

"Yes, I agree completely, professor," Tom said, respectfully.

Tom then proceeded to escort Phyllis to the Hospital Wing using wingardium leviosa. Right before he left though, I didn't miss the subtle smug look on his face. Soon after, class was back to normal.

"Paul, are you alright?" I asked Paul kindly.

"Yes, thank you for asking," Paul replied, politely. "Although, Berymere was heavier than I thought she'd be," Paul joked.

I giggled. "Paul, that's not very kind," I chided with a small smile.

"Well there's a reason I wasn't sorted into Hufflepuff," Paul retorted good-naturedly, a smile on his face.

"I suppose that's true to some extent," I acknowledged.

For the remainder of the class, I practiced spells with Ruth, although we mainly just talked about girl stuff.

As I was walking towards the Great Hall for dinner later that day. I came upon Tom; he was alone. I ran ahead to catch up with him.

"That wasn't a very kind thing to do to Phyllis," I stated, falling into stride with Tom, and staring straight ahead.

"What thing was it again? Please do remind me," Tom played dumb. As if he didn't know what I was talking about.

"Tom, you shouldn't stun people out of the blue," I chided lightly.

"She was annoying, I couldn't help myself," Tom defended. Although, if you ask me, it wasn't a very good defence.

"Tom, I know you have more self-control than that," I pointed out.

"Evelyn, not everyone can be nice little Hufflepuffs like you," Tom used the same tone of voice as I had, partly mocking me.

"Tom," I sighed exasperatedly, shoving Tom lightly with my shoulder.

"…You can go in first. I'll go in after you," Tom's tone of voice suddenly changed, becoming more serious and firm.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. See you later then," I replied, after thinking a bit of what Tom was talking about, seeing as he jumped topics so suddenly. I pushed the doors of the Great Hall open, heading in, and leaving Tom standing off to the side to wait before entering the Great Hall.

It was a couple of days before the next time I saw Tom and spoke with him. On the following Saturday, I met Tom after dinner in an abandoned corridor. Since first year, we'd normally meet in the Room of Requirement instead of our original abandoned classroom. But occasionally, such as this Saturday, we'd meet in an abandoned corridor or somewhere irregular depending on what our planned activities were for the evening.

Today, Tom would be taking me outside. Occasionally, Tom would take me outside, and we'd spend time with animals. Tom has a gift allowing him to be able to communicate with animals and even control them. He has a special connection with snakes, he's a parselmouth after all. Tom truly is a gifted wizard, with superior intelligence and several unique gifts. His cunning intellect and shrewdness, his ability to speak parseltongue, and his charisma and charm bunched together make Tom a triple threat, and give him an edge in life.

As I turned the corner into the abandoned corridor, I quickly spotted Tom already waiting for me. He met me halfway and cast the disillusionment charm on us. Then we both headed out of the castle and to the Forbidden Forest.

Students aren't allowed to go to the Forbidden Forest because it's full of dangerous creatures and such. But Tom and I always stay near the edge of the forest, and Tom knows many different kinds of offensive and defensive spells, as do I, so I feel very safe and confident.

As Tom and I walked into the forest, I wondered what creatures we'd see today. In the past, we've seen various birds, deer, snakes - attracted to the forest by Tom I suppose, and even a few centaurs.

Tom paused in his walking, silent. I paused too, curious as to why Tom stopped. I didn't ask Tom anything, I merely observed him and waited for him to speak. I knew not to interrupt him when he was thinking, he'd tell me what he wished for me to know and otherwise, I shouldn't ask.

I quieted my breathing and stayed still, listening to the sounds of the forest. Tom undid the disillusionment charm on himself, then he walked towards the left. I quietly followed behind him.

We came upon a small space, a deer before us. Tom spoke gently to the deer, being patient with it. The deer was a stag, and was the size of a small horse, although probably weaker than a horse. Tom soon subsequently removed the charm on me, making me visible to the deer. I wasn't too close to the deer though, so it wasn't too startled by my sudden appearance.

Tom continued to gently calm the stag. Soon after, I was petting the stag. He was very gentle, and very curious as well. He was probably a fairly young deer. He was initially shy, but after he got to know me a bit, he was very bold.

I gently stroked the stag's neck, Tom quietly observing.

I giggled as the stag nuzzled my face with his nose, "Tom, are you sure you don't want to come over here and play with the stag with me?" I asked Tom.

"I'm very content standing here, thank you," Tom replied, in his usual polite but detached manner.

"I truly wonder occasionally…how you can be so gentle yet so cruel at times," I thought quietly aloud.

"…There are many sides to a person, I suppose," Tom answered, somewhat vaguely.

"Yes, I suppose so," I agreed. "…Phyllis seems to really like you though. That wasn't nice of-"

"-She doesn't like me. She lusts after me, as do three-quarters of all the girls in Slytherin house," Tom corrected, annoyed and scornful.

"…That's true, but I do wish you wouldn't 'accidentally' hit people with spells," I sighed.

"It's what they deserve. You're simply too soft," Tom blatantly answered.

I chuckled lightly. "Yes, that does sound like something you'd think."

I was too preoccupied with the beautiful handsome stag before me to really notice Tom coming up to me from behind.

Only after I felt an arm wrapping around my shoulders did I realize Tom had snuck up on me. His other arm rested on my other shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"So, you've decided to join us, have you? Too lonely by yourself back there?" I joked, knowing full well that Tom never truly feels lonely.

"I dare say, Miss Evelyn, if I didn't know better, I'd say you didn't want me here," Tom joked in reply.

"Good thing you know better then," I leaned into Tom, smiling.

"…I think it best we be getting back," Tom suggested.

"Yes, I agree. Good bye, Monsieur Stag," I mock curtsied before the beautiful stag.

I then looped my arm around Tom's, letting my hand rest on his inner elbow. Tom lead the way back to Hogwarts Castle.


End file.
